Improvement in desks



De BABY.

Desk.

No. 215.86i. Patented May 27,1879.

W1TN555= INvmTUR= .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPHE DE BABY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK DE BABY, OF SAME PLACE, AND LOUIS 'SAUVEUB, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.,

ONE-THIRD TO EACH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,861, dated May 27, 1879; application filed January 31, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPHE DE BARY, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in VVriting-Desks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to an improvement in writing-desks, which may also be used as cigar-boxes; and consists in the devices hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to produce a writing-desk which can also be used as a cigarbox, and which will be attractive to the trade and useful to the purchaser.

Figure l inthe accompanying drawings is a vertical central longitndinal section of the invention, showing the desk opened for writing purposes, the d o-timgll lines representing the inner lid fastene (own upon the compartment for containing the cigars, and the outer lid closed over the box. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the desk opened, with the inner lid in a horizontal position; and Fig. 3 is a detached view of the end of the inktray and side of the box, showing the bead and groove by which the tray is secured in position.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the body of the box or desk, which has the upper edges of its ends inclined, as shown, and is supplied with the lid B, which is hinged at the lower side of the box and is of sufficient size to cover the entire upper surface thereof. The lid B is composed of two hinged sections a b. The section a is designed to cover nearly the whole surface of the box, and the section b the remainder. The section b is hinged to the section a, so that it can be turned upward, and when the lid is thrown open to form a writing-surface the section 1) assumes a vertical position and relieves the section a of the weight of the arm or hand of the writer. Without the support of the section I) the lid, specially when constructed of thin material, would be likely to bend and break, and the side of the ordinary writingdesk to which the lid B is hinged would be too low if when the said lid was opened its front edge were made to bear upon the table upon which the desk was placed and thereby receive its support. This not only makes the inner compartment of the desk too shallow at one end for the purpose for which I propose to use it, but inclines the writingsurface more than is desirable. By constructing the lid B as above described, the height of the front portion of the desk may be increased so as to make a rectangular compartment within the same, and give a desirable inclination to the writing-surface.

The inner lid, D, is of the usual construction, and forms, with the lid B, the writing-surface of the desk. It also serves as a cover for the compartment in which the cigars are placed, as hereinafter described.

The ink and pen tray Eis detachably secured in the customary place in writing-desks, at the upper end of the lid D. It is plain that the tray E could be detachably retained in place by springs or in many other ways 5 but in the present instance it is secured by the beads 01 on its ends, which enter corresponding grooves 0 cut in the sides of the box A, and can be withdrawn and inserted at will.

Below the lid D and tray E is the compartment F, which may be divided into several compartments, if desired, by the partitions)", and into which compartment or compartments the cigars may be packed in any convenient manner. After the cigars have been arranged in the compartment F, the lid D is closed over the same and allowed to rest upon the partitions f, thus forming a rectangular receptacle. The tray E is now inserted and pressed down upon the upper edge of the lid D, which is thereby retained in its horizontal position. When the lid 'D and tray E are in this condition the lid B may be closed and locked and the desk moved about without danger of mutilating the cigars.

When it is desired to remove some of the cigars from the box it is simply necessary to withdraw the tray and raise the lid D. The tray and lid may be returned to their former position; or if it is desired now to use the desk for writing purposes, the tray should be first inserted and then the lid closed against it. The tray, when inserted first, prevents the lid from returning to its horizontal position, but supports its front end in an inclined position, forming an agreeable writing-surface.

The interior of the desk, or that part which comes in contact with the cigars, is lined with red cedar m, to preserve the quality of the tobacco.

By the operation of the lid D and the removable ink or pen tray, the compartment F may be given a rectangular form, and its contents kept from jostling about while the desk is being moved. I

\Vhile the compartment is specially adapted for cigars, still the result of the lid D being lowered and secured would be found equally advantageous if any other articles were placed therein.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A writing-desk composed of the parts A,

. ADOLPHE DE BARY.

Witnesses:

R. PEARCE, ARTHUR MURPHY, Jr. 

